In short: On ordinary days Evergy Kansas Metro customers lost only about 61 minutes of power in 2024, but major storms pushed the total to 323 (EIA). Kansas City, Kansas’s city utility, BPU, averaged 362. Johnson County is “very high” for ice storms and tornadoes (FEMA), and the area has 44% of Kansas’s public charging ports.
This page covers the Kansas side of the Kansas City area: Overland Park, Olathe, Lenexa, Shawnee and Kansas City, Kansas. Statewide rules are in our Kansas energy guide. If you live in Kansas City, Missouri, Lee’s Summit, Blue Springs or Independence, see our Kansas City, Missouri guide instead: Missouri’s utilities, rebates and permits are different.
Kansas City suburbs at a glance
- Evergy Kansas Metro: about 13.1¢ per kWh for homes, averaged over 2024; 323 outage minutes per customer with major events and 61 without; 1.2 interruptions a year (EIA-861, 2024). Some addresses are on Evergy Kansas Central instead.
- Kansas City Board of Public Utilities (BPU), Kansas City, Kansas’s own utility: about 15.4¢ per kWh; 362 outage minutes with major events and 181 without; 2.0 interruptions a year (EIA-861, 2024).
- Sun: about 4.3 kWh per square meter a day in Overland Park (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020), or roughly 1,260 kWh a year per kW of panels by our estimate; about 1,240 in Kansas City, Kansas.
- Top hazards: Johnson County is “very high” for ice storms, lightning, tornadoes and winter weather. Wyandotte County is “very high” for ice storms, strong wind and winter weather (FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025).
- Public charging: 316 ports in Overland Park, 113 in Lenexa, 95 in Olathe, 59 in Shawnee and 31 in Kansas City, Kansas: 614 in all, about 44% of the state’s total (AFDC data, October 3, 2026).
Prices above are 2024 averages across all months; the statewide July 2026 figure is on the state page.
Your utility and what it means
- Evergy (Kansas Metro or Kansas Central): your bill’s “Message Board” shows which one you are on. Evergy’s Kansas net metering allows home systems up to 150 kW AC, capped at what your last 12 months of use would need: yearly kWh ÷ 8,760 ÷ 0.144, or about 7.9 kW for a home using 10,000 kWh a year. Planned loads such as a future EV don’t count. Power you export offsets power you buy within each bill; a surplus becomes a credit that rolls forward and expires after 12 months. Kansas applications carry a $100 fee and a production meter, and Evergy swaps your meter only after a passed city or county inspection.
- Evergy EV rebate (Kansas): $500 toward a 240-volt EV outlet or hardwired charger if you join a residential EV or time-of-use rate, $250 if you don’t. You must own or lease an EV and use a certified electrician. Applications run until funds run out or March 14, 2027. Check the program page.
- BPU community solar: BPU’s 1,000 kW solar farm, running since 2017, was the first city-utility solar farm in Kansas. Homes can lease 1 to 10 panels at about $330 each, through 2042; BPU estimates each earns about $3.20 a month in bill credit, about $38 a year. BPU buys the panels back if you move away. Details are on BPU’s community solar page.
- BPU and rooftop solar: BPU says it does not partner with or endorse any solar company, does not sell solar door to door and will never call you unexpectedly about net metering. Kansas law doesn’t require city utilities to offer net metering, and we did not find BPU’s export rules posted, so ask BPU for them in writing before you sign anything.
Backup power in the Kansas City suburbs
Evergy Kansas Metro’s numbers show a steady grid hit by a few big storms: 61 minutes out on ordinary days, but more than five hours in 2024 once major events are counted. Evergy’s own releases show why. On January 4, 2024, winds over 50 mph with snow left about 100,000 customers in the dark, with the southern Kansas City metro among the hardest hit. On May 25 and 26, 2024, a downburst with 70 mph straight-line winds made the Kansas City metro the worst-hit area of an outage affecting more than 140,000 customers, and some repairs took until midweek. BPU customers saw more outages even on ordinary days.
That points to backup for a day or more. A natural-gas standby generator covers long outages and can run central air if sized for it. A home battery starts by itself and recharges from solar between storms. A portable power station covers phones, Wi-Fi, lights and a CPAP machine. If someone at home depends on powered medical equipment, BPU’s Life Support program puts the household on its priority list during restoration; ask Evergy about similar options. Compare choices in backup power and size yours with the generator sizing tool or the battery backup calculator.
Safety: the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says to run a generator outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, with exhaust away from windows, doors and vents, and never in a garage. Install battery-backed carbon monoxide alarms. A licensed electrician should install the transfer switch; see generator installation.
Solar in the Kansas City suburbs
At about 1,260 kWh a year per kW, each kW of panels would offset roughly $165 a year at Evergy Kansas Metro’s 2024 average price, or about $190 at BPU’s higher price if all of it replaced power you would buy (estimates). Evergy’s cheaper power means a slower payback than in Wichita, and its size cap points to a system matched to your use. BPU customers should settle the export rules first. Use the solar potential tool and the solar savings calculator, and read solar installation and how net metering works.
Batteries in the Kansas City suburbs
With Evergy’s monthly netting, a battery adds little to solar savings; its job is riding out spring windstorms and winter ice, and moving use away from peak hours on a time-of-use plan. Read home battery installation and home battery cost.
EV charging in the Kansas City suburbs
Johnson County is Kansas’s charging hub: Overland Park alone has more public ports than Wichita, Topeka and Lawrence combined. At home, about 30 kWh per 100 miles costs about $3.90 per 100 miles at Evergy Kansas Metro’s 2024 average and about $4.60 on BPU (estimates), less on an off-peak plan. Try the EV charging cost calculator and read EV charger installation.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Overland Park: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
- Overland Park: Planning and Development Services handles permits, licenses and inspections through its ePLACE system. New electrical circuits need an electrical permit.
- Olathe: the city’s development code (section 18.50.200) allows solar collectors in all districts subject to standards; ask Building Codes about the permit.
- Shawnee: the city’s Solar Shawnee page says building permits are required before installation, panels may be roof- or ground-mounted in all zoning districts, and contractors need a city business license (the City Clerk can confirm it).
- Kansas City, Kansas: the Unified Government’s Building Inspection office issues electrical permits.
- Lenexa and unincorporated areas: ask the city building office; unincorporated Johnson County has its own solar installation permit.
- Licensing and HOAs: Kansas has no statewide electrician license, so ask installers which city or county licensed them and confirm it. Many subdivisions here have an HOA; get its written approval first.
Cities we cover
- Overland Park
- Olathe
- Lenexa
- Shawnee
- Kansas City, Kansas
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Kansas City suburbs energy FAQ
Is Kansas City, Kansas on Evergy?
Mostly not. Kansas City, Kansas is served mainly by its own Board of Public Utilities (BPU), which sets its own prices and programs, though Evergy also serves parts of Wyandotte County. Johnson County suburbs such as Overland Park, Olathe, Lenexa and Shawnee are served by Evergy, mainly its Kansas Metro company, with some addresses on Kansas Central. Your bill tells you which.
Can I join a solar program without panels on my roof?
On BPU, yes: you can lease 1 to 10 panels in its community solar farm for about $330 each, and BPU estimates each panel earns about $3.20 a month in bill credit. That is roughly a 9-year payback on BPU’s numbers. Evergy’s Solar Subscription is offered in its Kansas Central area; ask whether it covers your address.
Why were outages so long here in 2024 if the grid is reliable?
Because a few storm days did most of the damage. Evergy Kansas Metro averaged about 61 minutes out without major events but 323 with them. Evergy reports that January 2024 winds and a May 2024 downburst with 70 mph winds hit the Kansas City metro hard, and some customers waited days.
Does the Missouri $500 Evergy rebate apply in Overland Park?
Kansas has its own version. Evergy’s Kansas terms pay $500 toward a home charger circuit if you enroll in a residential EV or time-of-use rate, or $250 if you don’t, until funds run out or March 14, 2027. BPU customers aren’t covered by Evergy’s rebate.
Sources
Utilities, prices, outages and solar counts: U.S. Energy Information Administration, EIA-861 data for 2024. Evergy net metering guide, 2026 installer guide, Kansas Metro net metering tariff, Kansas EV charging rebate terms, and Evergy news releases of January 9 and May 26, 2024, read October 3, 2026. Kansas City BPU community solar, programs and January and March 2026 news pages. City of Overland Park, City of Shawnee, Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City and Johnson County permit pages; Olathe development code, checked October 3, 2026. Sun: NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020. Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Charging: Alternative Fuels Data Center, October 3, 2026. Generator safety: CPSC.